Hawaiian shaved ice dripped down my arm as I walked down the Boardwalk of my Southern California town. Janis Joplin sang “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” from a beat-up radio perched on the sea wall. I walked barefoot in a bathing suit all day, and could glide in and out of passers-by while on a skateboard decorated with bumper stickers professing loyalty to punk rock bands.

That was summer time then.

That was the youth I created, afforded freedoms by my parents, the life they worked for, and where I happened to be at the time.

It’s my turn now. I’m the one doing what has to be done to give my kids the carefree experience of summer as long as they can have it, before they get a job, have to pump their own gas, and are asked to pay for their own excessive pairs of shoes.

My window of opportunity is small. It’s not just from June to September, a typical summer season. I have three children, and the seasons of their intersecting innocence are getting fewer. It’s not the perfectly planned and executed family vacation I’m seeking, not weeks full of play dates, crafting, or outdoor recreation with no break in between.

What I want is more – from less.

I want to build a safe place in their minds to return to when they’re older. I believe this illusion involves sunshine, sweet things, laughter, and freedom.

Creating this fallback vision for my children is harder than it sounds. It’s a make-it-up-as-you-go-along endeavor for me, but I can tell you how it starts, or at least, provide my loosely-interpreted formula.

1) Choose wisely.

In the past I’ve signed up for it all; each offered camp, rsvp’d to every party, and visited every “fun” place within a 75 mile radius of our home. You just can’t force fun, engineer friendships, or have enough ways to curtail disappointment when the thing you’ve built up to your kids is less than what they’ve hoped for. I’ve asked for enough refunds halfway through summer to learn, we didn’t need to do everything, just meaningful things.

2) Let them lead.

One kid wants to keep playing sports, the other won’t get out of the pool, and another wants to just build a fairy garden in the backyard with old toys. It may be different from what I had in mind, but nothing makes them happier, and my job is to supply watermelon wedges, apply sunscreen, and take pictures of this blissful time.

3) Don’t worry about how it will end.

We know summer ends with a mad rush to barbecues and beaches on Labor Day. There will be enough time for back to school shopping and going to bed earlier. That, we know. What we don’t know is where the team will finish in competition, which friends will fade away or become besties, or how many nights we all have around the campfire together before making s’mores with Mom and Dad just isn’t fun, or cool, anymore. So don’t count.

This is summer time now.

And I know that I will squeeze my eyes shut at the powerful, vertical prisms of summer sunlight and it will be over. I won’t let that reality upset me, scare me, or intimidate me.

I will wake my children up every morning and tell them what a beautiful, blue-sky, fun-calling day it is. It’s a formula for (what I hope will be) happiness based on freedom of choice. The world is ready, the day is open, you’re good to go, and I’m right behind you.

Helene Rodriques is a chef who cares about health she is agraduate of Keiser University Center for Culinary Arts, specializing in healthy foods. She is a teacher, lecturer & consultant on Wholefoods cooking Her kitchen provides traditional family cooking, tips to learn how to cook as well as new twists on recipes to make them healthier.

https://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/smore-ice-cream/https://imgsub.familiesonlinemagazine.com/uploads/2015/06/smore-ice-cream.jpghttps://imgsub.familiesonlinemagazine.com/uploads/2015/06/smore-ice-cream-150x150.jpg2018-08-01T10:13:51+00:00Helene RodriquesApron Strings Cooking ColumnActivities for Kids,Cooking and Recipes,Emotional and Social Well-being,Family Fun,Holidays,Parenting,Seasons – Spring – Summer- Fall- WinterS'MORES ICE CREAM
For ice cream making machines. Combining two of the best things from summer - s'mores and ice cream.
* Adding chocolate syrup to the base ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, chocolate chunks/chips) will give this ice cream a chocolate appearance and taste.
If you prefer a vanilla appearance and taste,...Helene RodriquesHeleneRodriques[email protected]ContributorHelene Rodriques is a chef who cares about health she is a graduate of Keiser University Center for Culinary Arts, specializing in healthy foods. She is a teacher, lecturer & consultant on Wholefoods cooking Her kitchen provides traditional family cooking, tips to learn how to cook as well as new twists on recipes to make them healthier.Families Online Magazine